New Shopping Mall in Aba to resist fire outbreaks - Association

 March 20, 2017


By Ijendu Iheaka

 The EKUMI United Association in Aba on Monday said it was building a fire resistant shopping plaza to resist outbreaks of fire which usually engulfed shops during the harmattan.

Dr Uju Anusionwu, a member of the association and its spokesperson, said this in an interview with our reporter in Aba on Monday.

He said that the group took the decision to build the EKUMI shopping plaza, currently under construction in Aba, to check loses traders incurred annually from fire outbreaks in the South East.

“The entire conception is to build a fire-proof market in Aba. This plaza is a fire-proof market so that there will be nothing like fire incidents tomorrow destroying traders’ wares.

“We have in place what is called hydra points to be established here so that whenever there is any smoke, water will start emitting from those hydra points. We have a borehole to service it all year round,” he said.

According to him, the plaza will ease the stress of Aba residents while shopping, especially during the raining season with its ultra-modern facilities and special design.

“It will accommodate a crèche for market women to keep their children on the first floor.

“On the second, floor, it will have a maternity and dispensary to take care of minor medical cases and child delivery for women who get into labour in the market.

“Some people may have sensation that can cause them heart attack. Such persons can use the dispensary to save their lives.

“The plaza will also have a cold room where after the day’s sales, dealers of perishable goods will preserve them and pay to collect them the next day.

“We also have a “left-over” centre to cater for the missed baggage forgotten with the cart pushers.

“We will give tags or token to shoppers and when they finish buying with their loads, they will return them.

“We have also provision for restaurant so that people can eat good food while shopping, there is also provision for urinary, toilets and bathrooms so that people can shower and also urinate or go to toilet and pay a small token with ease,” he said.

Anusionwu said that the buildings were designed to ensure that shoppers could move from one particular block to other blocks without coming down.

He also said that the complex would have a banking hall to enable shoppers do banking transactions with ease.